Creating a Survey

Build and distribute your first developer experience survey.

CompassHQ surveys let you collect structured feedback from your engineering teams on a recurring basis. This guide walks you through building your first survey and getting it in front of the right people.

Starting a New Survey

  1. Navigate to Surveys from the main sidebar.
  2. Click Create Survey in the top-right corner.
  3. Give your survey a descriptive name, such as “Q1 Developer Experience Check-in” or “Sprint Retro Pulse.”
  4. Optionally add a short description that respondents will see before they begin.

Choosing Question Types

CompassHQ supports several question formats so you can capture both quantitative scores and qualitative insights:

  • Likert scale — Ask respondents to rate agreement on a 1—5 or 1—7 scale. Best for tracking measurable trends over time.
  • Multiple choice — Provide a fixed set of options. Useful for categorizing pain points or tool preferences.
  • Free text — Open-ended responses for detailed feedback. Use sparingly to keep completion times low.
  • NPS-style — A single 0—10 rating question with an optional follow-up. Ideal for sentiment tracking.

You can also start from a pre-built template such as the SPACE survey or eNPS survey instead of building from scratch.

Setting Cadence

Under Schedule, choose how often the survey should be sent:

  1. One-time — Send once and close after a set deadline.
  2. Recurring — Repeat on a weekly, biweekly, monthly, or quarterly cycle. CompassHQ automatically sends reminders and closes each round before the next one begins.

Targeting Teams

In the Audience section, decide who receives the survey:

  1. Select one or more teams, or choose All Teams to survey the entire organization.
  2. Optionally filter by role if you only want input from specific job functions.
  3. Review the estimated respondent count before sending.

Once everything looks right, click Publish to activate the survey. Respondents will receive a notification with a link to complete it.

Ready to get started?

Try CompassHQ free during the beta. Takes about five minutes to set up.